12.0. General Rules
Serials Issued in Cumulations:
Some serials issued in cumulations have a publication pattern whereby the individual issues for a certain period are rearranged, corrected, and perhaps expanded and reissued as a cumulation that may or may not have the same title as the individual issues. The contents of the individual issues and the cumulation are basically the same. However, these cumulations should no be confused with other serials that are publications with different frequencies and entirely different contents although the titles may be the same, e.g., an annual publication that gives the total figures for the year but does not include the monthly figures that appeared in the individual monthly issues. Separate records are generally made for these latter publication unless the numbering system ties them together.
Below are some criteria that can be used to determine when separate records should be made for such cumulations.
1. Separate records are generally made if:
a. the individual issues and the cumulation have the same title but have different designation systems, e.g., the individual issues have volume numbering but the cumulation has only a date designation.
b. the individual issues and the cumulation have different titles.
2. Separate records are generally not made if:
a. the individual issues and the cumulation have a continuous numeric designation.
b. the individual issues and the cumulation have the same title and are identified by date designations only.
3. Whenever in about, prefer separate records.
Serials Issued in Parts:
For serials issued in parts, the criteria listed below can be used to determine when separate records are made and when they are not.
1. Separate records are generally made if:
a. the individual parts are unnumbered or otherwise undesignated as parts of one publication.
b. the individual parts have their own numbering system or date designation.
c. the parts can be purchased separately.
2. Separate records are generally not made if:
a. the individual parts do not have a numbering system or date designation of their own.
b. the parts have a continuous pagination or enumeration.
c. the parts cannot be purchased separately.
d. the parts appear to be designed to be used together.
3. Whenever in about, prefer separate records.
Reprinted Issues of Serials:
1. Separate records are generally made for reprinted serials if the reprinted issues are published by a publisher not responsible for the original.
2. Separate records are generally not made for reprinted serials if the serial issues are reprinted by the publisher of the original. If these issues carry a different or an additional title, add a note on the record for the original and provide an added entry.
LC practice: When the Library of Congress acquires issues of a serial title to fill in gaps in its holdings of the original, a separate bibliographic record for the reprinted issue(s) will not be created.
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